For our last school spotlight of the season, I wanted to shine light on East High School (KCMO) for their award-winning agriculture program! In 2015, science teachers Andrew Killen and Zac McCullough revitalized the program with the help of the East High students. This meant long hours of organizing greenhouses, classroom spaces, rebuilding garden beds […]
The Olathe East High School Interpersonal Skills (IPS) class sees gardening as an integral part of their curriculum. The IPS program combines students with disabilities with peer mentors to learn social and other real-life skills. Hands-on gardening can provide lessons in science, math, cooking, communication and more. The school partnered with the Kansas City Community […]
This week’s school spotlight is Washington High School in KCK. Partnering with Schoolyard Gardens since 2015, Washington High School’s Wildcat Outdoor Learning Lab and Community Garden turned an old tennis court into an outdoor classroom where students are encouraged to study or just take a break and enjoy nature. Science teacher Karen Rogers leads the […]
This week’s Schoolyard Gardens school spotlight is Tomahawk Elementary, located in Overland Park, KS. Fifth grade teacher, April Cremer does a wonderful job incorporating the garden into math and science lessons as well as teaching important hands-on skills such as cooking. I asked April what her experience has been like teaching from the garden and […]
Looking for the perfect flower that will add beautiful color to your garden during the hot, sweltering summer months? Look no further and plant zinnias! Along with the daisy and sunflower, zinnias belong to the Asteraceae family. This easy to grow flower will not only stand up to the heat and attract pollinators in your […]
I’ve been catching some good sunsets from the Schoolyard Gardens office these past few weeks as the hours of daylight have been fleeting. There’s a serene stillness in the garden at this point of the season, and the arrival of the winter solstice this weekend felt like a natural and necessary pause right before we […]
A sure sign of summer is a big beautiful sunflower towering above most of the other plants in your garden. With Fall upon us though, you may start to notice your sunflowers looking a little droopy and sad. Fear not. Your sunflower fun is not done! It’s time for a sunflower harvest! Your first step […]
If you planted lettuce, spinach, radishes, mustard greens or green onions, they should be ready (if not close to being ready) for harvesting! Your slow crops, such as broccoli, collards, cabbage, kale, carrots, sugar snap peas and potatoes have a few more weeks to go. Tips on Harvesting Leafy Greens Lettuce and spinach can […]
Happy New Year friends! New to SYG or just need a refresher? Here is what to expect during a year of schoolyard gardening. In January, most garden beds are resting, waiting for warmer weather to soften up the soil for spring planting. This month, schoolyard gardeners can be planning and dreaming about the upcoming […]
This fall we gardened with over 6,400 students. Over 100 schools in the KC Metro area planted a fall garden. Schools grew over 31 different varieties of cool season vegetables. The most popular vegetables this fall were broccoli, carrots, collards, kale and radishes! We still have a little bit of hardneck garlic left, contact syg@kccg.org if interested! […]
